The Asgard Anomaly
by David Scholes
Summary: The flagship of Zdahlin Tihler, Emperor designate of the Narrsos systems, is unexpectedly pulled out of hyperspace. Is it just coincidence that this happens less than a light year from the mysterious Asgard anomaly? Please read on.
1. Chapter 1

The distant future

As with all starships of the Leandarr class, the superlative flagship carried a complement of mystic entities.

Experience over long millennia had taught the Narssons that a blend of the most advanced technology married with the most powerful mystic entities was a good insurance policy. Against pretty much anyone.

On this occasion, with the Emperor designate, Zdahlin Tihler, on board, the complement of mystics had been doubled. No chances were being taken with the soon to be most powerful entity in our Universe. A mystic himself.

This made it all the more surprising when, without warning, the great vessel fell out of hyperspace while, oblivious, its escorting starships continued their hyperspace journey.

"This shouldn't happen," said the flagships Commander "there is no precedent in our history."

"It has happened," responded the flagship's Captain, "live with it." Telepathically he indicated for his subordinate to calm down.

Immediately and without instruction the starships biological computers announced their present location. The vessels machine computers confirmed this a few seconds later.

This area of normal space was known to the Narssons. It had been known to them for thousands of their years. They never came here and if the Narssons weren't game to come here neither was anyone else.

The bridge crew took in the immediate navigational projection directly above them. A scaled down three dimensional actual image of the area of normal space commencing half a light year from them.

An area of space larger than any known star system that was subject to permanent roiling cosmic super storms.

A place that had only ever been known as the Asgard Anomaly. For reasons now largely lost in the obscurity of time.

Narsson technology was good – the three dimensional image mapped the area of space showing apparently moving pockets of calm amidst the inconceivable fury of the storms.

At that moment the Emperor designate supported by his prime mystic and seer teleported on to the bridge.

"Arcane forces pulled us from hyperspace," said the prime mystic both verbally and telepathically in a manner that got everyone's attention. Even those crew members not on the bridge "Just a momentary application, but enough," he finished.

Then the great man himself spoke up. Zdahlin Tihler, soon to be Emperor of many thousands of star systems. "The cosmic storms are enhanced by mystic forces" he announced to no one in particular, and everyone in general.

There was a moment of verbal silence. Everyone on the bridge looked up at the three dimensional actual scale image of the Asgard anomaly. Some in fear, some in awe, others in a more calculating manner.

"What I couldn't do with such additional power at my disposal," thought Zdahlin Tihler a thought that he couldn't quite keep from the more receptive minds on the flagships bridge.

"We are being pulled toward the anomaly," announced the flagship Captain, somehow beating even the biological computers, "Sire – your mystic defenders may be required to augment the flagships reverse thrust."

"Stay those actions good Captain," came a voice that was now never challenged, a voice of absolute authority. "This may be no bad thing," continued the voice, "and our escorting fleet should be rejoining us, almost any moment now?" Zdahlin Tihler's face took on the cruel smile that the flagship captain knew only too well.

Up ahead, at the edge of the Asgard anomaly, a lone humanoid type figure appeared. The ships computers projected and enhanced the image.

It was not a holographic projection nor, as the prime mystic confirmed, was it merely an astral projection.

"What is that entity?" asked Zdahlin Tihler. Was there a very slight tremor in his voice? the flagship captain decided not.

The ships biological computers did not respond immediately and the machine computers did not respond at all.

The biological computers were quite old. Which was a good thing. Biological computers are always evolving, adapting and changing and, with some ultimate limitations, improve over time.

Finally the biological computers responded:

"It is an entity, Excellency, thought to have existed in the Universe before ours, the Universe that was destroyed." "A survivor, somehow, of that destruction." "A god, no less, a true god, from the race that this anomaly is named after."

"Magni, Thorson of Asgard."

The entire bridge of the flagship stood transfixed as the entity, Magni, Thorson, drew the great ship closer to the anomaly. It or he seemed to be assisted by something held in both hands and raised high.

"What is that contrivance, that artifact that it holds" asked the Emperor designate.

The biological computers took even longer to respond, to this second direct question from ultimate authority.

"Excellency, it is a weapon from the time before the destruction of the previous Universe."

"A weapon once wielded by the entities father, the greatest weapon of that time before time."

"The mighty Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor of Asgard, son of he who was once known as Odin the Allmighty."

"Begin reverse thrust Captain" came the voice of ultimate authority, Zdahlin Tihler, as a micro second later his telepathic communication washed over the great starship "all mystics to my side!"

The flagship captain and the prime mystic looked at each other.

There was a slight tremor in their masters voice and telepathic communication that neither of them had ever heard before.

Zdahlin Tihler had become acquainted with something we all know, yet that was hitherto only a theoretical concept for him.

Fear.

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

The great starship, flagship of all the Narsson star fleets, strained to its limits. Shuddering, almost convulsing, the full length of its leviathan frame in a losing tug of war with Asgard's strongest god.

Zdahlin Tihler, Emperor designate, moved quickly. Together with his prime mystic he entered a transitory mind fusion with the ships biological computers. An attempt to grasp in scant seconds all there was to be known about the Asgard anomaly. It was precious little.

Then as the flagship, victim in an unequal contest, started accelerating towards Magni and the Asgard anomaly, it began firing on the Thorson at the same time as Zdahlin Tihler directed a mystic assault on the god.

Eerie blue white discs of mystically enhanced plasma raced across the decreasing distance to Magni. These were followed by faster than light slivers of anti-energy and then near light speed anti-matter torpedoes.

All of them, individually, energies that could strip a world to its core. Indeed in times past the flagship had done exactly that and worse.

Swinging mighty Mjolnir the Thorson created a personal force shield and deflection screen much as his father might of in a different time and place. The energies directed against him, vast though they were, were deflected off into the outer edge of the Asgard anomaly and were consumed in the constantly roiling cosmic storms.

Waiting until they were close enough the Narsson flagship saved its best till last, in the form of a hitherto experimental weapon. A living weapon, the anti-god wave.

The anti-god wave energies were not fully deflected by Magni but danced and crackled across his force field and deflection screen. Seeking a crack or crevice through which they could feast on the god within and what a feast that would be.

Clasping the hammer supreme in both hands Magni allowed just a portion of his life essence to be as one with the hammer. As the resultant energies were released the anti-god wave fed upon them. Yet at the same time it was physically thrust into the nearby abyss of the Asgard anomaly.

Magni watched on, with not a little satisfaction, as the living weapon, the anti-god wave drowned in the overwhelming god power driven sea of cosmic storms that was the Asgard anomaly. Just too much god power for it to absorb.

At this point it was as much as Magni could do not to vaporize the flagship before him, yet that was not his purpose.

With the anti-god wave spent the flagship meek and now unresisting moved to within a kilometer of Magni, less than a tenth of its own length.

Magni allowed Mjolnir to rotate inside his grip and as it did so, Asgardian energies bathed and enveloped the Narsson flagship. Suddenly the great vessel was stripped of its numerous layers of force shields and seemingly even of its composite hull as all within was laid bare to Magni's gaze. He saw his quarry.

The Thorson could not, did not, expect that the Emperor designate would surrender himself to save the flagship. Such an individual would gladly sacrifice every last starship of Empire if it would save his own personal hide.

"I have what I came for" said the Thorson as he conducted Zdahlin Tihler and his prime mystic away. "I have no claim on anyone or anything else present, you may leave this area." It is said that sound does not travel in space as there are no molecules to conduct it, yet the voice of great Magni reverberated with crystal clarity throughout the ship and all of nearby space.

Yet the son of Thor the Mighty knew that the Narsson flagship would not leave the vicinity. The aliens could hardly return to the home worlds after "losing" the emperor designate. Better for them to die here.

Magni knew the flagships escorts would be here soon and then more, many more, starships would come. Perhaps eventually all of the star fleets of the Narsson. Starships beyond counting.

_Let them come _thought Magni, itching for a fight; _it's been eternity since we've had a decent fight around here._

Magni raised mighty Mjolnir high again and the closest of the fearsome cosmic storms that enveloping all of the Asgard anomaly parted. Without ceremony Magni escorted the Emperor designate and prime mystic inside the anomaly. The fearsome storms reforming after them as they passed through to an area of tranquility within.

As they moved deeper in the quiet zone within the anomaly they come upon a great city.

True there were much larger cities in the Narsson Empire and with much taller buildings. Still there was something about this place, this truly golden realm, a grandeur, a majesty, a character, a sense of history that made it a greater place than any city of any empire anywhere.

Zdahlin knew it had to be Asgard City.

With all three of them levitating above the magnificent city Magni escorted his charges to the high place of Hlidskalf.

"This is my father" he said simply, though there was great pride in his voice. He might have said "this is my father the lord of all Asgard, and the greatest warrior god that ever drew breath" but such was not the way of Magni. Why wax lyrical when a few words would suffice?

Even to the man mountain that was Zdahlin Tihler, Thor was imposing. Older, heavier than when mortal man knew him. Yet his body was not old. His white hair though, testament that even now the Asgardians were not true immortals. Something the son of Odin could have changed but had chose not to and with good reason.

Thor motioned Zdahlin and his sycophant to sit before him and a small assemblage of gods whom Magni joined. The other gods meant nothing to the dictator though he took stock of them.

There was a god who seemed almost to glow with light and reek of inner nobility, a goddess with a beauty that would forever evade any mortal women or even younger goddess, and one other, a god, unsmiling, grim faced with an unyielding hardness. Zdahlin looked into those eyes, and then looked away.

Thor took stock of his "visitors"

The son of Odin had known evil intimately; human evil, the evil of gods, of cosmic and abstract entities and evil at the highest possible level. Yet before him now stood another kind of evil. In some respects worse than anything Thor had heretofore encountered.

"We of Asgard do not usually interfere in the affairs of this Universe" boomed Thor "yet in your case we have made an exception."

The Odinson waived slightly and a huge visual image appeared before the assemblage, of a large blue green inhabited world. Thor motioned again. It was the same world after de-terraforming, brown, arid, no oceans and lifeless.

"Do you recognize this world?" he asked of Zdahlin.

The questioning continued. Images of suns forced to go nova, inhabited worlds stripped to their molten cores for mining purposes, worlds vaporized by planet busting super weapons.

Zdahlin Tihler humored his inquisitors. Oddly the purpose of the assemblage did not immediately occur to either him or his prime mystic.

It couldn't be could it?

It was simply inconceivable.

That the Emperor designate of the most powerful empire in existence was on trial for his life.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

Finally the mighty Thor finished detailing the catalogue of crimes and there was silence.

A time for all present to ponder on the enormity of what had been presented.

Then the Lord of Asgard rose and walked a little away from the assemblage hands behind his back.

He addressed the Emperor designate. "In this place, Hlidskalf I can see all things that transpire, that have transpired, and that will transpire." Thor continued "I have seen the alternate futures for you Zdahlin Tihler and your prime mystic and not a one of them provide any grounds for your redemption."

Then as Thor motioned, Magni arose and pronounced judgment.

* * *

Zdahlin Tihler and his prime mystic found themselves in another place. A totally unfamiliar place. One for which, even with their combined mystic skills, they could find no frame of reference. Yet both knew it was not some form of after life.

All about them was destruction at a level far beyond anything they themselves had caused. A confrontation between great powers of the first order was in progress.

Somehow their sensory capabilities had been enhanced to the point that they were aware of all the conflict about them for a radius of many, many light years. So they could sense acutely and at first hand all of the death, all of the destruction, all of the pain, all of the agony, all of the bitterness, all of the hopelessness, all of the sense of betrayal. It was all but overwhelming and getting worse with each moment.

At the edge of their physical sight a small planetoid or detached continental mass seemed to be the main focus of the conflict. Resisting an attack totally out of all proportion to its size.

The Emperor designate and the mystic focused on this. Moving physically closer to the battle.

Though they still did not know it the dictator and his mystic were witnessing the final stages of a Universe wide confrontation between an alliance of gods and magical/mystic powers on one hand and an alliance of cosmic entities and abstract powers on the other.

They did not recognize any of the warring factions, including the monstrous humanoid shape corpses still spewing the last residual energies from their armored forms, nor the partially armored titan with the winged helmet and the small human size silver form near it.

Until they recognized the drifting continental mass and three human shape forms fighting side by side above it. Younger versions of Magni and Thor and what could only have been he whom Thor himself had referred to during the trial as the Allfather.

"Somehow Thor and Magni have sent us back in time, Lord" said the prime mystic "to that time of the end of their Universe."

Then an entity brushed past them moving toward the continental mass, they did not know the entity, could not know it. Yet as mystic powers they saw it for what it was. The embodiment in a single living entity of this entire Universe.

From out of Asgard, he who was the Allfather, now mystically vastly increased in size, came forth to engage the entity. Zdahlin thought he heard the Allfather call to the entity that it was not too late using the name Eternity.

Then Zdahlin Tihler screamed and kept on screaming as the two titans clashed and the Universe about them and the entities themselves died.

Yet as his master screamed amidst the total and absolute carnage the prime mystic looked on through the destruction and saw Asgard partially intact. Something re-forming from the Odin/Eternity clash moving to protect Asgard, even against the destruction of a Universe.

* * *

Magni escorted Zdahlin Tihler and the mystic back outside of the Asgard anomaly. The mighty Thor accompanied them. Both Asgardians were dressed in full battle armor. As Magni carried Mjolnir so Thor held the OdinAxe.

The Narsson flagship was no longer alone. Its escorts had arrived and many other starships with them. Yet more were arriving every few moments.

An attack had begun on the Asgard anomaly with the Narsson fleet using others of the same living anti-god weapon that Magni had been exposed to. The level of the attack could only increase over time as more starships arrived.

Thor the mighty raised the OdinAxe as Magni raised the hammer supreme. Energies flowed from god to god, from hammer to axe then were unleashed.

Not to destroy the star fleet but simply to gain their attention. A kind of massive electro-magnetic pulse yet on all levels: human sensory, electronic, mystical, and many other levels. Bringing all activity of the starfleet to a grinding halt.

It served two purposes, an unmistakable demonstration of power but also, as the Narsson starfleet recovered, it most certainly got their undivided attention.

In time a large shuttle craft approached Thor and Magni from the Narsson flagship and took the Emperor designate and prime mystic aboard.

"What will they do father, when they discover the truth?" asked Magni

"That they have both been driven utterly and irretrievably mad?" responded Thor. "Even where it is physically possible, as when the Odinpower saved us, there are few minds that can survive the destruction of a Universe." "Zdahlin Tihler's and his prime mystic's minds are not among them."

"In this nexus point some call the Asgard anomaly and that is the link between the two Universes we were able to send Zdahlin Tihler and his sycophant back in time." "Their punishment is complete."

Magni realized that Thor had not answered his question yet as father and son watched on and the huge starfleet began to depart, the Thorson saw that the question had been answered.

End


End file.
